Grants

Search or browse below to see past Field of Interest grants. You may search by recipient organization name, project name, or city. Additionally, in the sidebar you may filter the grants displayed by year, interest or grant amount.

Abbotsford Cultural Centre

a heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart

The Reach will be displaying the exhibition, 'a heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart', a multifaceted installation comprised of archival photographs, documents, miniature paintings and videos which examines the aftermath of the destruction of the colossal 5th century Buddhas of the Bamiyan Valley in Central Afghanistan in 2001. This exhibition was co-created by Vancouver-based artist Jayce Salloum and Afghan artist Khadim Ali and is an important cross-cultural dialogue between a Canadian artist and an ethnic Afghan-Hazara artist. During the installation of the exhibition Bachelor of Fine Arts Students from the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) will be invited to observe and report the exhibiting artsits' archival/art practice. This process will be documented and used as part of an interpretive tour to help gallery visitors explore the ideas and concepts contained within the exhibition installation.

$8,531.00

2012

Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association

Proactive Comprehensive Anti-Bullying Program for Middle Schools

We recognize that there is no shortage of approaches and data on responding to bullying issues in schools. However, there is a shortage of people implementing practical programs based on their local contexts. What makes this project different is that we seek to understand our local context using school based surveys and THEN to use existing tools and empirically supported resources to address our needs and realities. After analyzing these surveys we will work together with BC Centre for Safe Schools (BCSSC) to compile a manual of best practices in dealing with bullying in Abbotsford middle schools. We are not reinventing the wheel; we are simply using existing research to create a tailor-made approach for Abbotsford. This program will address bullying behaviour by creating an inclusive, empathic, and responsive school culture, develop a program of classroom circles to promote healthy relationships, develop emotionally honest and open communication, training of staff, supervisors, and parents to recognize and help address bullying behaviour,and mediating bullying incidents.

$40,000.00

2012

Access to Media Education Society

YouthMADE: Take 2 (YMT2) - "Climate Matters"

YouthMADE Take 2 (YMT2): Climate Matters is an intergenerational media production, facilitation training and educational outreach program. It will see 24 diverse youth from 8 (primarily rural and under-resourced) Indigenous communities gathering to work with accomplished Indigenous filmmakers, activists, elders and allies to create and disseminate a series of digital stories. These works will focus on the impacts that resource extraction and environmental destruction have had on the communities / territories noted in Question 14 and also explore potential solutions for change.
This project is a direct response to the need (expressed by previous participants and community partners) to:
- nourish the skills base of the next generation of land stewards and community leadersâ€”especially Indigenous youth who tend to be disproportionately impacted by large-scale resource extraction projects.
- develop educational resources and workshops that are created and facilitated by young people whose experience of the current climate challenges are grounded in local knowledge and experience.

$50,000.00

2012

Alberni-Clayoquot Continuing Care Society

Co-operative Elder Care Initiative

One of the most critical social issues facing Canadians is the nation's rapidly aging demographic and the absence of affordable care for seniors. This project addresses the lack of high quality, affordable and responsive elder care to seniors and their families. Community-based co-operatives are proven to provide care that is more responsive and affordable because they are controlled by users and their families. By utilizing the tools and knowledge developed in this project, care givers and community groups will greatly increase their capacity to provide alternative forms of elder care by replicating community-based, user controlled models piloted in this project.
The project also addresses the serious problem of isolation and loneliness faced by a growing number of seniors as well as the lack of support to their caregivers. The project will strengthen social capital in local communities and lessen the isolation of seniors by helping communities to develop co-operative models for the provision of care and the development of social networks for the support of the elderly.

$106,000.00

2012

Arts in Action Society

Groundswell: Grassroots Economic Alternatives

Our proposal comes in two parts: first a training institute where young people (up to age 35) can come together for a year's intensive program to imagine, design and build new enterprises including cooperatives, collectives, non-profits, arts and artisanal enterprises, self-employment scenarios and other grassroots configurations: all explicitly contributing to a community economic fabric of reciprocity.
Each program will run for ten months: 4 months of intensive work, a month of strategizing and proposal planning, then 5 months of supported project development. Participants will develop the comprehensive skills - individually and collectively needed to run their own enterprises.
The second piece is that we will link graduates and their new initiatives into a network of mutual aid and support. Each graduating participant and enterprise will be a member of the Groundswell Co-op relying on and supporting one another, and being supported by the collective institutional, organizational and financial resources. Ongoing reciprocity and interconnectedness is the key to our proposal.

$70,000.00

2012

Arts Umbrella Association

Arts Umbrella Surrey Outreach

In the past year, Arts Umbrella has focused on preparing for the launch of two facilities in Surrey; one in the South (primarily tuition based) and one in Surrey Centre (primarily free-of-charge).
In Fall 2012, we will begin the delivery of our free-of-charge Surrey Outreach programs from our Surrey Centre facility, firmly establishing Arts Umbrella as a permanent presence and stable support organization for at-risk children in the Surrey Centre area. Arts Umbrella will provide arts workshops that are sensitive to the needs of Surreyâ€™s diverse child population, with a particular focus on supporting children facing unique settlement challenges in their new Canadian home.
Arts outreach programs will run both after school and over spring break. With the activation of this free-of-charge programming through a new permanent Surrey Centre facility, we will be able to forge new connections and establish meaningful relationships with Surrey families, schools and other community organizations, and thereby further increase access to supportive services for vulnerable Surrey children.

$60,000.00

2012

Association of Neighbourhood Houses of British Columbia

Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House Pathways Out of Poverty

Pathways Out of Poverty pilots a strength-based collaborative project to build capacity among immigrant women & their families to:
-Understand possible pathways out of poverty & for achieving a living wage.
-Navigate training/employment services & related community supports
-Develop problem solving, networking & assertiveness skills needed to address personal & systemic barriers.
-Develop leadership & speaking skills to facilitate participation in public dialogue to address systemic barriers & key employment issues.
The need for programming to support local immigrant women to move into paid employment was identified in 2006 and 2009-10 through the Frog Hollow Community Connections Project. In 2009, Jennifer Chun, Department of Sociology at UBC, broadened this exploration by facilitating 4 city wide neighbourhood cafes to identify the issues prevent women obtaining a "living wage" or work in their field of expertise. Pathways Out of Poverty is a collaboration between organizational stakeholders & immigrant women to positively address issues of personal & systemic exclusion.

$76,302.00

2012

Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood Houses: A Sturdier Neighbourhood Fabric: Weaving Policy, People and Place Together

The project will connect diverse residents of Mount Pleasant more deeply to their local area, while enlarging their capacity to positively influence the way in which Mount Pleasant develops. The need was identified through participation in the local area planning process (2007-10); consultation (2011-12) with City staff and simultaneously with grassroots groups (focused on public realm, food security, community development and the arts), local business and service agencies; plus research from external bodies.
The project (over 3 years) will develop and implement collaborative skills modules for policy-focused Working Groups; coordinate and support efforts of local area stakeholders through policy implementation regarding the built environment, public realm and social and economic development; facilitate effective partnership with municipal staff and academic teams in implementing the Mount Pleasant Community Plan; develop effective protocol for early engagement of local stakeholders by property developers; and create a toolkit to benefit multiple neighbourhoods and municipalities.

$100,000.00

2012

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House: Seniors for Seniors Project: Building a One-Stop Place for Westside Seniors

The Seniors for Seniors Project is a senior-led initiative that will address the Health and Wellness & Belonging and Inclusion of seniors living on the Westside. The project will engage local seniors and community partners to help design, develop and implement a new one-stop Seniors Resource Centre for vulnerable seniors and individuals with physical disabilities to access info and referral services, navigate systems of care and support, and participate in programs that promote healthy living and social connection.
The Kits House Seniors Resource Centre is centrally located on 8th & Vine Street, close to public transit and is wheelchair accessible. The Westside has one of the highest concentrations of seniors in Vancouver, and many are living alone with a low income, lacking support systems, feeling isolated and facing many health challenges. The Seniors for Seniors Project will address community-identified needs by providing advocacy, information and peer support services, health and social programs, and opportunities for seniors to volunteer and contribute in meaningful ways.

$60,000.00

2012

Atira Women's Resource Society

The project idea originated when it was observed that women living with HIV accessing emergency shelter services had gaps in antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment adherence. Adherence is essential to the maintenance of health among HIV-positive people and decreased risk of transmission to sexual and drug use partners. In BC, HIV-positive women exhibit significantly lower adherence to ART than men even when known confounders, such as injection drug use, are controlled for. This study would qualitatively explore suboptimal adherence to ART among women by using community-based participatory research involving focus groups, open-ended interviews, and innovative methods such as digital storytelling. This funding will be used to hire a peer research assistant who will be integral to the project, assisting with the development of topic guides, conducting the research with women, analyzing the data and disseminating the new knowledge. Knowledge gained will identify womenâ€™s barriers to adherence and be used to develop women-specific services to support individual and community-wide health.
Research Team: Cathy Puskas, Phd Student; Elysia Bourne, Atira

$22,938.00

2012

Axis Theatre Company

R.I.P.

Our project idea originated from an outline submitted to Wayne Specht by K.C Brown. Intrigued by the idea, the next step was to choose and bring a group of talented artists together with the intention of creating an exciting new physical theatre play for adult audiences, loosely based on the story of Rip van Winkle. This method is proven within Axis' history in creating theatre. The current theme is: a person (or persons) waking up in a much later time period from when they first went to sleep.
Our development structure will include:
â€¢ A two day writing phase to flesh out the theme (pre- application)
â€¢ Two one-week workshops that will develop the subject matter and the script through a non-premise improvisational method. This delivers the opportunity to explore the theme and ideas off the page.
â€¢ A storyboard and script that will lead to rehearsal and production of the new play.
We are planning to premiere R.I.P in our 2013-14 season and serve the adult/family population in Vancouver and BC. If suitable, the play will be adapted into a play for young audiences.

$5,000.00

2012

Ballet Victoria Society

The Secret Garden & Other Works

Ballet Victoria's The Secret Garden & Other Works is a two-act program that features a mixed repertoire of classical and contemporary works including: Le Jazz Hot, by BC resident Jacques Lemay (premiered by principal dancers Evelyn Hart and John Kaminski at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet); Bruce Monk's Noctiluxe (music by Debussy) and a new work by BC resident and RWB alumni Gisele Plourde (music by Petr Eben on four-hands piano, The Little Green Forest). Vancouver-based concert pianist Sarah Hagen will accompany the dancers along with a cellist and violinist for The Secret Garden (Haydn), a narrative ballet inspired by Michael Shamata's adaptation of Burnett's novel (1911). This original creation by Paul Destrooper showcases the technical and dramatic skills of the dancers as they guide audiences through this deeply emotional story about the paralyzing effects of loss on one's social and physical environment and the innate wisdom in children's imaginations. The ballet is set in Victoria and reflects elements of the city's architectural and natural landscape.

$15,000.00

2012

Bard on the Beach Theatre Society

Production of Elizabeth Rex by Timothy Findley

The staff and Board of Directors of Bard are currently in the midst of a strategic review of the Festival's mission, vision and values.
Part of the strategic review is examining Festival programming possibilities beyond the Shakespeare canon.
In 2012 Bard commissioned an Angus Reid survey that concluded 7 of 10 patrons would support Bard expanding its repertoire to include works by his contemporaries or a Bard related '˜twist'.
Elizabeth Rex, received its premiere production at Stratford, Ontario in 2000. The play brings together Queen Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare and his acting troupe on the eve of the execution of Robert Deveraux Earl of Essex, the rumoured lover of Queen Elizabeth.
The universal themes explored by Canadian playwright, Timothy Findley, will appeal to traditional Shakespeare audiences as well as those who may not otherwise be attracted to a Shakespeare play.
Elizabeth Rex will be rehearsed in repertory with Measure for Measure for 7 weeks in May/June, 2013 and be presented at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in July thru early September.

$20,000.00

2012

Barking Sphinx Performance Society

Flee

This project is to create, develop and present Flee, a new work by three of Vancouver's most dynamic and innovative artists -- composer, cellist and improviser Peggy Lee, playwright-director David Hudgins and lighting designer Itai Erdal. Flee will be a darkly humorous and Kafkaesque tale in which the dialogue between music, visual storytelling, movement and theatre reveals the unseen and unknowable forces that liberate and bind us. Inspired by the once-popular phenomenon of the flea circus, Flee examines the interplay between composition and improvisation, bringing the audience closer to the life and nature of musicians and in particular, improvisers -- a nature that is vulnerable, rebellious, risky and curious. Flee will be a hybrid of live performance, an integrated narrative in and around the "action" of the acoustic concert. A piece that zooms in on life as we deny it, Flee scratches below the surface and probes the underbelly for what little we know about the cruelty and compassion of creatures caught in extreme times.
Flee will be presented at the Roundhouse, June 14-20, 2013.

$12,000.00

2012

BC Wheelchair Basketball Society

The Let's Play Program

Young children with disabilities far too often face needless exclusion from physical activity. The Letâ€™s Play program helps give kids the ability to confidently participate in play, sport, and physical education with their peers. It provides kids with specially designed wheelchairs, training for facilitators, and maintains a comprehensive website with resources for building knowledge, skills, and abilities. The sport wheelchairs allow kids with and without disabilities the freedom to enjoy fun activities together and raise the bar for awareness and inclusion for them as well as their parents, teachers, and other facilitators. The program has been operating for approximately two years and is now in need of expansion in order to include many more kids in the province than we have been able to help so far. To help the kids most effectively, it is essential to be able to provide the necessary education to their adult facilitators on an individual basis. The grant we request will provide the needed physical activity resources to young children with disabilities and their facilitators.

$45,000.00

2012

Belfry Theatre Society

Home is a Beautiful Word

The project for which we are requesting funding is a production of a new play, Home is a Beautiful Word, to be presented on the Belfry Theatre Mainstage in the 2013-14 Season.
In 2010, the Belfry Theatre commissioned playwright and journalist, Joel Bernbaum, to create a piece of verbatim theatre that addresses the issue of homelessness in Victoria, an issue that Artistic Director Michael Shamata felt could be addressed in a meaningful and unique way through the forum of theatre. Homelessness is a highly visible and controversial issue in Victoria and communities across the country. Verbatim theatre refers to the process of constructing a play using dialogue drawn from interviews conducted with members of a community. Verbatim theatre facilitates the inclusion of voices not usually heard - in the theatre or elsewhere. It allows us to bring many sides of the homelessness discussion to the stage. This project fits well within the Belfry's mission to produce contemporary theatre that generates ideas and dialogue, and that helps our audience to see the world from different perspectives.

$20,000.00

2012

Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art

Aboriginal art incorporates humour for many purposes, yet to date no exhibit in contemporary NWC Native art has treated humour in any critical fashion. Aware of this serious gap after having experienced Bill Reid's wit in his artwork, M. Reid invited Tahltan curator Peter Morin to co-curate 'Irregardless' to further explore the nature and dimensions of humour in the artworks, writings, and interviews of 15 Aboriginal NWC artists to contextualize and interpret humour in their creative processes and artistic practices.
'Irregardless' will exhibit a diverse body of recent works in many media, including videos, by internationally recognized and mid-career artists to explore how humour allows Aboriginal people to cope with change with resilience and amusement while maintaining a sense of community and continuity. 7 Public programs will celebrate humour's power to heal and unify. A 120-page colour catalogue will accompany the exhibition. 'Irregardless' will provide Aboriginal and art communities as well as the general public opportunities to 'decolonize' their minds with a sense of play.

$25,000.00

2012

Blind Beginnings Society

New Parent Workshop Series

The â€˜New Parentâ€™ Workshop Series will provide information and access to peer support for parents who are new to raising a blind child.
Parents with blind or visually impaired children of any age can attend monthly workshops on a variety of topics such as: orientation & mobility, self-directed discovery, importance of braille literacy, how to optimize the vision a child has, social skill development, funding sources available to blind children, assistive technology options, sports and recreation opportunities, daily living skills, organizational techniques, parenting skills, and looking ahead to the future.
Following each workshop, parents can participate in a Support Group meeting facilitated by a registered clinical counsellor. As a drop-in program, parents can attend the topics that are of relevance and interest to them. Child-care allowance will be offered to help reduce barriers to participation.
New parents can also be matched with Support Parents who have experience raising a blind child and can provide ongoing peer support and guidance.

$6,000.00

2012

Boca del Lupo

Fall Away Home

Our proposal is to mount an original site-specific multidisciplinary performance in the summer of 2013 entitled 'Fall Away Home'. A mash up of live feed video, animation, improvised music and contemporary performance, Fall Away Home will be an extraordinary experience for an intergeneration audience in an unconventional space that will transform our perception of who we are, where we came from and our relationship to the place we call home. Thematically the work draws on the grim realities of human trafficking. Careful to avoid perpetuating dated stereotypes, the work will be a fiction/fairytale drawn from contemporary research and first hand interviews with human trafficking victims. Working with the Vancouver Port Authority, our vision is to perform the piece down at the port or near to it, on the water's edge. The setting will be constructed out of shipping containers stacked three and four stories high alongside cranes and other industrial machinery. This all-ages piece will explore the world of children who are not entirely in control of their own lives and destiny.

$15,000.00

2012

Boundary Museum Society

Our project is twofold.
Since the Museum's relocation to the new Heritage Site at Fructova, larger items located in the Gyro Park display such as the Community logging exhibit and other related artifacts are not being taken care of because of inadequate space and/or poor building design. Although the items are being restored at no charge by our local Woodworker's Guild, once completed we do not have suitable facilities to store or display them.
Our proposed project will not only see the development of a dedicated space which will allow us to showcase forestry and logging memorabilia which has been so important to our area, the interior 20' x 40' space will also give us an area where temporary displays and celebrations can take place. BC Forest Service celebrates their 100th Year Anniversary in 2012 as does the Elks Lodge 493 and the Co-operative movement of Canada. Next year is the 100th Anniversary of 4-H in Canada. The Boundary Museum Society would like play a part in their 100 year celebrations by hosting picnics as well as providing this exhibit space in their honor.

$16,400.00

2012

British Columbia Council for Families

Celebrating All Families: Building LGBTQ Inclusive Programs

The BC Council for Families, with an advisory committee of parents, community representatives and service providers, and working collaboratively LGBTQ organizations, will develop specialized educational resources for parent educators and others who work with parents, on the needs of same-sex parents and their children. Resources will focus on raising awareness of the potential for heterosexual bias in programming, and on approaches to make programs more welcoming and inclusive for LGBTQ-led families and children. Because of the need to reach practitioners in smaller centres around BC, the Council will investigate several dissemination models â€“ creating a video and accompanying workbook that agencies can use to hold their own in-service discussions and trainings, and/or train the trainer workshops at conferences or by webinar.
Project activities will include developing and disseminating tip sheets for family service practitioners, a podcast series of interviews with experts and parents exploring issues relevant to LGBTQ families as well as a training video and workbook.

$43,000.00

2012

British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

BC SPCA Strategic Plan 2014-2018

In 2013, the BC SPCA will undertake a comprehensive province-wide stakeholder and public consultation process to assist in the development and approval of a strategic plan for 2014 through 2018. Once approved, the new strategic plan will define the organizationâ€™s direction and prioritize programming and the allocation of resources for that five year period.
The process will also include an evaluation of the BC SPCAâ€™s current Mission, Vision and Charter, as well as the Guiding Principles and strategic objectives.

$10,000.00

2012

British Columbia's Women's Hospital and Health Centre Foundation

In 2012 the BC government allocated funds to expand admissions to UBC Midwifery and to build sustainable rural midwifery services. These policy changes were driven by maternity care provider shortages, and supported by the documented efficacy, patient satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness of midwifery care. However, utilization of midwives is not equally distributed across the BC population. It appears that patient experience, public awareness, and regional availability are all factors that may affect demand and access to midwifery care.
Research Team: Ruth E. Martin-Misener, Family Physician/UBC; Catriona Hippman, UBC/BC Women's Hospital; Kathrin Stoll, UBC; Laura Schummers, Research Consultant; Nora Timmerman, UBC; Kelly Murphy, UBC; Dana Thordarson, Psychology
The objectives for this project emerged from two community consultations. Some midwifery patients reported enthusiasm for shared decision-making; others felt stigmatized when their choices were perceived to be in conflict with the community standard of care. As a result interest in midwifery care may be modulated by family and professional attitudes. Community midwives and rural women described populations that could benefit from but were currently underserved by midwives, and suspected that multiple barriers to access exist for vulnerable women. Hence, our multi-stakeholder team (patients, community service leaders and researchers) proposes that the overarching goal of our study is to identify factors that affect women's access to the full spectrum of maternity care options. Findings will inform a knowledge translation plan aimed at improving access to high quality maternity services, particularly among underserved and vulnerable women.

$159,676.00

2012

Burnaby Seniors Outreach Services Society

ManTalk

The ManTalk project aims to reduce social isolation and expand a faltering support network for the most vulnerable of the oldest-old population in our community, men who are not able to independently change their own situations. Facilitated group activities which include education, discussion and emotional support will be established in community and residential venues designed to foster new social connections and encourage meaningful activity.

$10,175.00

2012

Burns Lake Band

Children are our Future

This new playground for the Little Angels Daycare will create a safe, fenced area which will contain various play equipment which meets safety standards and designed for ages 3 and under. Playgrounds provide crucial and vital opportunities for children to play. Research has proven that there is a link between play and brain development, motor-skills, and social capabilities. All learningâ€”emotional, social, motor and cognitiveâ€”is accelerated, facilitated, and fueled by the pleasure of play. Age appropriate playgrounds promote different types of play that are vital for a childâ€™s cognitive, emotional, physical, and social development Research shows that children with poorly developed motor-skills by age five will likely never develop efficient motor-skills, outdoor play seems to be an important way to help with these skills. Playgrounds offer infants and toddlers a base for simple motor and exercise play to provide an environment to help develop these skills. Most importantly playgrounds have no racial boundaries and can help reduce racial tension in communities, large or small.